Banks, real estate shares weigh on Saudi; insurer lifts Qatar

Major stock markets in the Gulf ended mixed on Sunday, with Saudi Arabia’s index pressured by real estate and...
26 Feb, 2023

Major stock markets in the Gulf ended mixed on Sunday, with Saudi Arabia’s index pressured by real estate and banking shares, but a 10% surge in Qatar Insurance lifted the Qatari index.

Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index fell 1%, recording its sixth consecutive decline.

The luxury real estate developer Retal Urban Development lost 3% while Al Rajhi Bank was down 1.8%.

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Among other stocks, Saudi Tadawul Group fell 4.7% after its annual profit declined more than 27% to 424.6 million riyals ($113.17 million).

The latter also slashed its annual dividend to 2.31 per share from 3 riyals a year ago.

Middle East Healthcare jumped 10% after its annual profit soared more than 300% compared to a year earlier.

The Qatari Stock index rose 0.7%, ending three consecutive sessions of losses, buoyed by its financial stocks.

Gulf’s largest insurer Qatar Insurance jumped nearly 10% for second consecutive session with about 9 million shares trading hands, marking a turnover of over 15 million riyals - its largest since September, after saying its listed unit in Oman, Oman Qatar Insurance acquired another listed rival Vision Insurance.

The insurer on Wednesday hit a more than 13-year low after reporting a consolidated net loss of 637 million riyals ($174.14 million) for fiscal year 2022, compared to a profit of 630 million riyals ($172.23 million) a year earlier.

Outside the Gulf, Egypt’s blue-chip index added 1.2%, led by gains in almost all sectors, with Commercial International Bank rising 1.3% and Telecom Egypt gaining 4.2%.

SAUDI ARABIA fell 1% to 10,052

QATAR was up 0.7% to 10,542

EGYPT rose 1.2% to 17,213

BAHRAIN down 0.1% to 1,937

OMAN up 0.2% 4,659

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